3 Best Fall Hikes in Mammoth

Celebrate the magic and beauty of the Sierra gold. With beauty surrounding you in the colors of crimson, orange, and gold you’re bound to lose yourself in nature like you never have before. So join Nomadness & start your holidays off with a story to tell at Christmas.

Choose from these three hikes ( your ability) to surround yourself if the precious colors of fall that a fleeting. Catch them while you can.

This short hike leads from the famous road- and campground-encircled Mammoth Lakes into the glacier-carved valley of upper Mammoth Creek in the John Muir Wilderness. Six timberline tarns lie beneath the Mammoth Crest, and this trail leads to the first in that chain of scenic lakes. The trailhead for Arrowhead lake is at the southwest edge of the Coldwater Creek parking lot. This lot is at the top of Coldwater Creek campground at the far end of Lake Mary.

This hike starts at the trailhead above Coldwater Campground. This is a beautiful hike with wildflowers that border the creek all the way to Emerald Lake and Sky Meadows. The trail ascended gently through the open forest. After about .9 miles, we came to Emerald Lake. The trail continues around the left side of Emerald lake passing a junction with a trail over to join Duck Pass trail. It crosses over the Coldwater creek and continues along the stream filled with wildflowers; monkey flower, lupine, swamp onion, phantom bog orchids, and paintbrush. Across the meadow is a wonderful view of Blue Crag. The meadow was filled with elephant head, spirea, lupine, paintbrush, corn lily. Continuing on and up through the open forest, you come to a waterfall. At the top is Sky Meadow

The Deer Lakes Loop makes an ideal weekend trip or an ambitious, strenuous day hike. In the journey from Lake George down Duck Pass, hikers encounter both stark alpine and dense forest terrains. The lightly traveled route to Deer Lakes follows the spine of the Mammoth Crest, with expansive views in every direction.